Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) device with locally thickened gate oxide

ABSTRACT

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device including providing a gate structure on a channel portion of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the gate structure includes at least one gate dielectric on the channel portion of the semiconductor substrate and at least one gate conductor on the at least one gate dielectric. An edge portion of the at least one gate dielectric is removed on each side of the gate structure, wherein the removing of the edge portion of the gate dielectric provides an exposed base edge of the at least one gate conductor and an exposed channel surface of the semiconductor substrate underlying the gate structure. The sidewall of the gate structure is oxidized, which also oxidizes at least one of the exposed base edge of the at least one gate conductor and the exposed channel surface of the semiconductor substrate that is underlying the gate structure.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/474,803, filed on May 18, 2012, the entire content and disclosure ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor devices. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to scaling of semiconductordevices.

In order to be able to make integrated circuits (ICs), such as memory,logic, and other devices, of higher integration density than currentlyfeasible, one has to find ways to further downscale the dimensions offield effect transistors (FETs), such as metal-oxide-semiconductor fieldeffect transistors (MOSFETs) and complementary metal oxidesemiconductors (CMOS). Scaling achieves compactness and improvesoperating performance in devices by shrinking the overall dimensions andoperating voltages of the device while maintaining the device'selectrical properties.

SUMMARY

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is provided that, in oneembodiment, includes providing a gate structure on a channel portion ofa semiconductor substrate, wherein the gate structure includes at leastone gate dielectric on the channel portion of the semiconductorsubstrate and at least one gate conductor on the at least one gatedielectric. An edge portion of the at least one gate dielectric isremoved from each side of the gate structure. Removing the edge portionof the gate dielectric provides an exposed base edge of the at least onegate conductor and an exposed channel surface of the semiconductorsubstrate underlying the gate structure. The sidewall of the gatestructure is oxidized. The oxidizing of the sidewall of the gatestructure also oxidizes at least one of the exposed base edges of the atleast one gate conductor and the exposed channel surface of thesemiconductor substrate that is underlying the gate structure.

In another aspect, a semiconductor device is provided that includes agate structure on a semiconductor substrate, in which the gate structureincludes at least one gate conductor and at least one gate dielectric.The at least one gate dielectric includes a dielectric layer that is indirect contact with a surface of the semiconductor substrate, in whichedge portions of the dielectric layer have a greater thickness than acentral portion of the dielectric layer. The lower surface of the edgeportion of the dielectric layer extends into the semiconductorsubstrate. The gate conductor is present on an upper surface of the edgeportions.

In another aspect, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device isprovided that in one embodiment includes providing a gate structure on achannel portion of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the gate structureincludes at least one gate dielectric on the channel portion of thesemiconductor substrate and at least one gate conductor on the at leastone gate dielectric. An edge portion of the at least one gate dielectricis removed on each side of the gate structure, wherein the removing ofthe edge portion of the at least one gate dielectric provides an exposedbase edge of the at least one gate conductor and an exposed channelsurface of the semiconductor substrate underlying the gate structure. Asidewall of the gate structure is nitrided, wherein the nitriding of thesidewall of the gate structure also nitrides at least one of the exposedbase edge of the at least one gate conductor and the exposed channelsurface of the semiconductor substrate that is underlying the gatestructure.

DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example and notintended to limit the present disclosure solely thereto, will best beappreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals denote like elements and parts, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a gate structureon a semiconductor substrate, in which the gate structure includes atleast one gate conductor on at least one gate dielectric, as used in oneembodiment of a method of forming a semiconductor device in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view depicting removing an edge portionof the at least one gate dielectric from each side of the gatestructure, wherein removing the edge portion of the at least one gatedielectric exposes a base edge of the at least one gate conductor and achannel surface of the semiconductor substrate that is underlying thegate structure, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming source and drainextension regions in the semiconductor substrate on opposing sides ofthe gate structure after removing the edge portions of the at least onegate dielectric, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of oxidizing the sidewall of thegate structure, wherein oxidizing the sidewall of the gate structurealso oxidizes at least one of the exposed base edge of the at least onegate conductor and the exposed channel surface of the semiconductorsubstrate that is underlying the gate structure, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of forming spacers adjacent to thegate structure and implanting a deep source region and a deep drainregion in the semiconductor substrate on opposing sides of the gatestructure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a sourceextension region and a drain extension region in the semiconductorsubstrate on opposing sides of the gate structure before removing theedge portions of the at least one gate dielectric from each side of thegate structure, in accordance with another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view depicting removing the edgeportions of the at least one gate dielectric from each side of the gatestructure that is depicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view depicting a preliminary sidewalloxidation process applied to a gate structure before removing the edgeportions of the at least one gate dielectric from each side of the gatestructure, in accordance with another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming source and drainextension regions in the semiconductor substrate on opposing sides ofthe gate structure depicted in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view depicting one embodiment ofremoving the edge portions of the at least one gate dielectric from eachside of the gate structure depicted in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the methods and structures of the presentdisclosure are described herein; however, it is to be understood thatthe disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the disclosedmethods and structures that may be embodied in various forms. Inaddition, each of the examples given in connection with the variousembodiments of the disclosure are intended to be illustrative, and notrestrictive. References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “anembodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodimentdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include theparticular feature, structure, or characteristic.

Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may beexaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the methods andstructures of the present disclosure. For purposes of the descriptionhereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, andderivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosed structures, as theyare oriented in the drawing figures. The terms “overlying”, or“positioned on” means that a first element, such as a first structure,is present on a second element, such as a second structure, whereinintervening elements, such as an interface structure, e.g., interfacelayer, may be present between the first element and the second element.The term “direct contact” means that a first element, such as a firststructure, and a second element, such as a second structure, areconnected without any intermediary conducting, insulating orsemiconductor layers at the interface of the two elements.

The present disclosure is related to a method for fabricating highvoltage metal oxide semiconductor (HVMOS) devices, which exhibit highelectric fields through the gate dielectric. By “high voltage” it ismeant a voltage within the range of 3 V to 30 V. As used herein, a highelectric field is an electric field within a range of 2×10^6 V·cm⁻¹ to14×10^6 V·cm⁻¹. In some instances, one advantage of HVMOS devices overlow power devices is the possibility to operate at a high drain voltage(Vd) and high gate voltage (Vg).

The performance of HVMOS devices at high drain voltage (Vd) may bereduced by gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) at null gate voltage (Vg),i.e., leakage assisted by high drain-gate field. In some instances, gateinduced drain leakage may reduce the range of operation of the HVMOSdevice. Further, at a medium gate voltage (Vg) in HVMOS devices, whichis typically the Vdd/2 (the Vdd is the positive supply voltage), HVMOSdevices may exhibit hot carrier injection and drain avalanche hotcarrier effects. This mechanism in which carriers are injected throughthe gate dielectric is known to be a cause of gate dielectric damage,which lowers the reliability of the device.

In some embodiments, the methods and structures disclosed hereinovercome the above noted disadvantages with an etch that is applied tothe base of the gate structure following patterning of the gatestructure and before oxidation of the sidewall of the gate structure.The etch process that is applied to the base of the gate structureremoves a portion of the gate dielectric, e.g., gate oxide, from thecorner of the gate structure. Because a portion of the gate dielectricis removed from the corner of the gate structure, the edges of the gateelectrode and the channel portion of the semiconductor device areexposed. Therefore, at least a portion of the edges of the gateelectrode and the channel portion of the semiconductor device areconsumed during the oxidation process that oxidizes the sidewalls of thegate structure. The final semiconductor device formed using this processhas a thicker gate dielectric, e.g., gate oxide, at the corner of thegate structure than at a central portion of the gate dielectric. In someembodiments, the thicker gate dielectric at the corner of the gatestructure reduces gate induced drain leakage and hot carrierinjection/drain avalanche hot carrier effects. Some embodiments offorming a gate structure including a gate dielectric with thickerportions at the corner of the gate structure than a central portion ofthe gate structure are now described with reference to FIGS. 1-10.

FIGS. 1-5 depict one embodiment of forming a semiconductor device 100including at least one gate dielectric 11 with edge portions 15, i.e.,portions adjacent to the sidewall of the gate structure 10, that have agreater thickness than the central portions of the gate structure 10, inwhich source extension region 13 and the drain extension region 14 ofthe device are formed prior to an oxidation process that is applied tothe gate structure 10. As used herein, the term “semiconductor device”refers to an intrinsic semiconductor material that has been doped, thatis, into which a doping agent has been introduced, giving it differentelectrical properties than the intrinsic semiconductor. Doping involvesadding dopant atoms to an intrinsic semiconductor, which changes theelectron and hole carrier concentrations of the intrinsic semiconductorat thermal equilibrium. In some embodiments, the semiconductor devicesdisclosed herein are high voltage metal oxide semiconductor (HVMOS)devices. A high voltage metal oxide semiconductor device is asemiconductor device that may operate at voltages ranging from 3 voltsto 30 volts.

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of forming a gate structure 10 on asemiconductor substrate 5, in which the gate structure 10 includes atleast one gate conductor 12 on at least one gate dielectric 11. Thesemiconductor substrate 5 may be composed of a silicon containingmaterial. Si-containing materials include, but are not limited to, Si,single crystal Si, polycrystalline Si, SiGe, single crystal silicongermanium, polycrystalline silicon germanium, or silicon doped withcarbon, amorphous Si and combinations and multi-layers thereof. Thesemiconductor substrate 5 is not limited to only silicon containingmaterials, as the semiconductor substrate 5 may be composed of anysemiconducting material, such as compound semiconductors including GaAs,InAs and other like semiconductors. In the example, that is depicted inFIG. 1, the semiconductor substrate 5 is a bulk-semiconductor substrate.Although not depicted in FIG. 1, the semiconductor substrate 5 mayinclude layered semiconductors, such as Si/Ge and Silicon-On-Insulators.The semiconductor substrate 5 may include a doped region, which may alsobe referred to as a well. A doped region is formed in the semiconductorsubstrate 5 by adding dopant atoms to an intrinsic semiconductor, whichchanges the electron and hole carrier concentrations of the intrinsicsemiconductor at thermal equilibrium. The doped region may be p-type orn-type. In one embodiment, the semiconductor substrate 5 is composed ofa single crystal material, such as single crystal silicon. As usedherein, the term “single crystal” denotes a crystalline solid, in whichthe crystal lattice of the entire sample is substantially continuous andsubstantially unbroken to the edges of the sample, with substantially nograin boundaries.

The gate structure 10 may be formed using deposition, photolithographyand etch processes. The term “gate structure” means a structure used tocontrol output current (i.e., flow of carriers in the channel) of asemiconducting device through electrical or magnetic fields. Forexample, the material layers for the at least one gate dielectric 11 andthe at least one gate electrode 12 may be deposited onto thesemiconductor substrate 5 to provide a gate stack. Thereafter, the gatestack may be patterned and etched to provide the gate structure 10.Specifically, and in one example, a pattern is produced by applying aphotoresist to the surface to be etched, exposing the photoresist to apattern of radiation, and then developing the pattern into thephotoresist utilizing a resist developer. Once the patterning of thephotoresist is completed, the sections of the sacrificial materialcovered by the photoresist are protected to provide the gate structure10, while the exposed regions are removed using a selective etchingprocess that removes the unprotected regions. Following formation of thegate structure 10 the photoresist may be removed.

The at least one gate dielectric 11 may be composed of any dielectricmaterial including oxides, nitrides and oxynitrides. In one embodiment,the at least one gate dielectric 11 may be provided by a high-kdielectric material. The term “high-k” as used to describe the materialof the at least one gate dielectric 11 denotes a dielectric materialhaving a dielectric constant greater than silicon oxide (SiO₂) at roomtemperature (20° C. to 25° C.) and atmospheric pressure (1 atm). Forexample, a high-k dielectric material may have a dielectric constantgreater than 4.0. In another example, the high-k gate dielectricmaterial has a dielectric constant greater than 7.0. In an even furtherexample, the dielectric constant of the high-k dielectric material maybe greater than 10.0. In one embodiment, the at least one gatedielectric 11 is composed of a high-k oxide such as, for example, HfO₂,ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, La₂O₃, SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, Y₂O₃ and mixtures thereof.Other examples of high-k dielectric materials for the at least one gatedielectric 11 include hafnium silicate, hafnium silicon oxynitride orcombinations thereof. In one embodiment, the at least one gatedielectric 11 may be deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).Variations of CVD processes suitable for depositing the at least onegate dielectric 11 include, but are not limited to, Atmospheric PressureCVD (APCVD), Low Pressure CVD (LPCVD), Plasma Enhanced CVD (EPCVD),Metal-Organic CVD (MOCVD) and combinations thereof. The at least onegate dielectric 11 may also be formed using in situ steam generation(ISSG). In one embodiment, the thickness T1 of the at least one gatedielectric 11 is greater than 0.8 nm. More typically, the at least onegate dielectric 11 has a thickness T1 ranging from about 1.0 nm to about6.0 nm. In the embodiment that is depicted in FIG. 1, the at least onegate dielectric 11 is composed of a single dielectric layer. Applicantssubmit that the present disclosure is not limited to only thisembodiment, as any number of dielectric layers may be present in the atleast one gate dielectric 11, so long as at least one of the dielectriclayers may be etched to expose at least a portion of the semiconductorsubstrate 5, and in some instances expose at least a portion of thesemiconductor substrate 5 and a portion of the at least one gateconductor 12.

In one embodiment, the at least one gate conductor 12 is composed ofmetal or a doped semiconductor that can be oxidized. One example of adoped semiconductor that is suitable for the at least one gate conductor12 is doped polysilicon, such as n-type doped polysilicon. Examples ofmetals that may be employed for the at least one gate conductor 12 mayinclude, but are not limited to, W, Ni, Ti, Mo, Ta, Cu, Pt, Ag, Au, Ru,Ir, Rh, La and Re, and alloys thereof. The metal that provides the atleast one gate conductor may also include nitrides, such as TiN. The atleast one gate conductor 12 may be formed by a deposition process, suchas CVD, plasma-assisted CVD, plating, and/or sputtering, followed byplanarization. The at least one gate conductor 12 may be a multi-layeredstructure. When a combination of conductive elements is employed, anoptional diffusion barrier material such as TaN or WN may be formedbetween the conductive materials.

In some embodiments, a dielectric gate cap (not shown) may be present onthe upper surface of the at least one gate conductor 12. The dielectricgate cap may be composed of any dielectric material, such as an oxide,nitride or oxynitride material. In one example, the dielectric gate capis composed of silicon nitride. The dielectric gate cap is optional andmay be omitted.

FIG. 2 depicts removing an edge portion of the at least one gatedielectric 11 from each side of the gate structure 10, wherein removingthe edge portion of the at least one gate dielectric 11 exposes a baseedge B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 and a channel surface C1of the semiconductor substrate 5 that is underlying the gate structure10. In one embodiment, the edge portion of the at least one gatedielectric 11 is removed by an etch process, such as a selective etchprocess. As used herein, the term “selective” in reference to a materialremoval process denotes that the rate of material removal for a firstmaterial is greater than the rate of removal for at least anothermaterial of the structure to which the material removal process is beingapplied. For example, in one embodiment, a selective etch may include anetch chemistry that removes a first material selectively to a secondmaterial by a ratio of 100:1 or greater. In one embodiment, the etchprocess is an isotropic etch. The term “isotropic” denotes an etch thatis non-directional. In contrast to an isotropic etch, an anisotropicetch is an etch process is a material removal process in which the etchrate in the direction normal to the surface to be etched is greater thanin the direction parallel to the surface to be etched. In oneembodiment, the selective etch for removing the edge portions of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 removes the material of the at least onegate dielectric 11 selectively to the semiconductor substrate 5 and theat least one gate conductor 12. For example and in one embodiment inwhich the at least one gate dielectric 11 is comprised of silicon oxide(SiO₂), the at least one gate conductor 12 is comprised of polysilicon,and the semiconductor substrate 5 is comprised of silicon, e.g., singlecrystal silicon (Si), the etch process for removing the edge portions ofthe at least one gate dielectric 11 removes silicon oxide selectively topolysilicon and silicon.

The etch process for removing the edge portions of the at least one gatedielectric 11 may be referred to as a gate oxide side etch (GOSE), whichmay include an HF chemical solution. Other chemistries for removing theedge portions of the at least one gate dielectric 11 includehydrofluoric acid (HF), a buffered oxide etch (BOE), a mixture of HF andammonium fluoride or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, each edgeportion of the at least one gate dielectric 11 that is removed has alength L1 that ranges from 2 nm to 25 nm, as measured from a sidewall ofthe at least one gate conductor 12 of the gate structure 10. In anotherembodiment, each edge portion of the at least one gate dielectric 11that is removed has a length L1 that ranges from 5 nm to 10 nm, asmeasured from a sidewall of the at least one gate conductor 12 of thegate structure 10.

FIG. 3 depicts one embodiment of forming a source extension region 13and a drain extension region 14 in the semiconductor substrate 5 onopposing sides of the gate structure 10 after removing the edge portionsof the at least one gate dielectric 11. The source extension region 13and the drain extension region 14 may be doped with an n-type or p-typedopant. As used herein, “p-type” refers to the addition of impurities toan intrinsic semiconductor that creates deficiencies of valenceelectrons. In a silicon-containing substrate, examples of p-typedopants, i.e., impurities, include but are not limited to boron,aluminum, gallium and indium. As used herein, “n-type” refers to theaddition of impurities that contributes free electrons to an intrinsicsemiconductor. In a silicon containing substrate, examples of n-typedopants, i.e., impurities, include but are not limited to, antimony,arsenic and phosphorous. In one embodiment, the source extension region13 and the drain extension region 14 are ion implanted into the exposedportion of the semiconductor substrate 5 that is not underlying the gatestructure 10. The ion implantation step that provides the sourceextension region 13 and the drain extension region 14 may include acombination of normally incident and angled implants to form the desiredgrading in the extensions. Implant energies for forming the sourceextension region 13 and the drain extension region 14 may range from 1keV to 25 keV. Ion implantation for forming the source extension region13 and the drain extension region 14 is typically carried out using alow concentration of dopant dose ranging from 4×10¹³ atoms/cm² to 1×10¹⁵atoms/cm². It is noted that the present disclosure is not limited toonly ion implantation for forming source extension in region 13 and thedrain extension region 14. For example, the source extension region 13and the drain extension region 14 may be formed using plasma doping andgas phase diffusion.

FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of oxidizing the sidewall of the gatestructure 10, wherein oxidizing the sidewall of the gate structure 10also oxidizes at least one of the exposed base edges B1 of the at leastone gate conductor 12 and the exposed channel surface C1 of thesemiconductor substrate 5 that is underlying the gate structure 10. Inone embodiment, removing the edges portions of the at least one gatedielectric 11 exposes the base edge B1 of the at least one gateconductor 12 and the channel surface C1 of the semiconductor substrate 5so that, during sidewall oxidation of the gate structure 10, thesemiconductor material of the channel surface C1 of the semiconductorsubstrate 5 and the base edge B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12can be oxidized. For example, when the at least one gate conductor 12 iscomposed of polysilicon, and the semiconductor substrate 5 is composedof silicon, during oxidation of the sidewall of the gate structure 10,the base edge B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 is converted tosilicon oxide (SiO₂) and the channel surface C1 of the semiconductorsubstrate 5 is converted to silicon oxide (SiO₂). The consumption of thebase edge B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 and the channelsurface C1 of the semiconductor substrate 5, e.g., oxidation of the baseedge B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 and the channel surface C1of the semiconductor substrate 5, provides a dielectric that functionsas a thickened edge portion 15 of the at least one gate dielectric 11.The combination of the dielectric formed by oxidation of the base edgeB1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 and the oxidation of thechannel surface Si of the semiconductor substrate 5, and the at leastone gate dielectric 11 having it's original thickness T1 at the centerof the gate structure 5 may be collectively referred to as a dielectriclayer that is in direct contact with a surface of the semiconductorsubstrate 5 with edge portions 15 that have a greater thickness than acentral portion of the dielectric layer. The central portion of thedielectric layer is provided by the remaining portion of the at leastone gate dielectric 11.

In one embodiment, the central portion of the dielectric layer, i.e.,remaining portion of the at least one gate dielectric 11, has a firstthickness T1 that ranges from 2 nm to 20 nm, and the edge portion 15 ofthe dielectric layer has a second thickness T2 that ranges from 3 nm to25 nm. In another embodiment, the central portion of the dielectriclayer, i.e., remaining portion of the at least one gate dielectric 11,has a first thickness T1 that ranges from 5 nm to 15 nm, and the edgeportion 15 of the dielectric layer has a second thickness T2 that rangesfrom 9 nm to 20 nm. In one embodiment, in which the base edge B1 of theat least one gate conductor 12 is provided by a semiconductor containingmaterial, such as polysilicon, an upper portion of the thickness of theedge portion 15 of the dielectric layer extends into the at least onegate conductor 12. The lower portion of the thickness of the edgeportion 15 of the dielectric layer extends into the semiconductorsubstrate 5. In the embodiments in which the base edge B1 of the atleast one gate conductor 12 is provided by a metal, the upper portion ofthe thickness of the edge portion 15 of the dielectric layer does notextend into the at least one gate conductor 12. In some embodiments inwhich the base edge B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 is providedby a metal, the edge portion 15 of the dielectric layer only extendsinto the channel surface C1 of the semiconductor substrate 5.

In addition to forming the edge portion 15 of the dielectric layer,oxidizing the sidewall of the gate structure 10 further forms a gatesidewall oxide film 16 a on the sidewalls of the gate structure 10, asubstrate surface oxide film 16 b on the exposed surfaces of thesemiconductor substrate 5, and a cap oxide film 16 c on the uppersurface of the gate structure 10. The gate sidewall oxide film 16 a, thesubstrate surface oxide film 16 b and the cap oxide film 16 c may eachbe composed of silicon oxide (SiO₂). The gate sidewall oxide film 16 a,the substrate surface oxide film 16 b and the cap oxide film 16 c mayeach have a thickness of from 1 nm to 20 nm. In one embodiment, the gatesidewall oxide film 16 a, the substrate surface oxide film 16 b and thecap oxide film 16 c may each have a thickness of from 2 nm to 10 nm.

The conditions used in forming edge portion 15 of the dielectric layer,the gate sidewall oxide film 16 a, the substrate surface oxide film 16b, and the cap oxide film 16 c may vary depending upon the sidewalloxidation process performed. In one embodiment, the edge portion 15 ofthe dielectric layer, the gate sidewall oxide film 16 a, the substratesurface oxide film 16 b, and the cap oxide film 16 c may be formed usingthermal oxidation. For example, thermal oxidation may be carried out ata temperature ranging from 800° C. to 1100° C. for a time period of from10 seconds to 2 hours in an oxygen containing ambient. In oneembodiment, the ambient for thermal oxidation employed includes anoxygen-containing gas, such as O₂, air, ozone, NO, NO₂ and other likeoxygen-containing gases. Mixtures of the aforementionedoxygen-containing gases are also contemplated herein. Theoxygen-containing gas may be used alone, or it may be admixed with aninert gas such as He, Ar, N₂, Kr, Xe or mixtures thereof. Annealing forthermal oxidation may include furnace annealing, rapid thermal annealingand combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the sidewall oxidation step is carried out in anoxidizing ambient that comprises atomic oxygen. Atomic oxygen radicalscan oxidize silicon surfaces. Atomic oxygen can be formed by utilizing afree-radical enhanced rapid thermal oxidation (FRE RTO) process, byemploying remote formation of gaseous discharges (plasma) inoxygen-bearing gases, or by decomposing unstable oxygen-bearing gases,such as ozone. In one embodiment, in the FRE RTO process, hydrogen andoxygen are introduced into a process chamber and held at a low pressureof between 50 Torr and 0.1 Torr. The oxygen and hydrogen react in thevolume of the chamber and at a silicon surface producing highly reactiveoxygen radicals that rapidly oxidize silicon. The FRE RTO process isalso known in the art under the name of an In-Situ Steam Generation(ISSG) process.

In another embodiment, a plasma-assisted oxidation is employed to formthe edge portion 15 of the dielectric layer, the gate sidewall oxidefilm 16 a, the substrate surface oxide film 16 b, and the cap oxide film16 c. In this process, a remote gaseous discharge is used to breakoxygen-bearing molecules. At a low pressure, the atomic oxygen producedin the discharge zone can be transported to the processing zone almostwithout loss. This is again due to a very low volume recombination ofatomic oxygen at low pressures. Accordingly, in one example, the processis conducted at a low chamber pressure of below 50 Torr. The preferredpressure range of the discharge zone is from about 1 mTorr to about 10Torr. The process can be conducted at the substrate temperature of fromabout room-temperature (e.g., 25° C.) to about 1100° C. The steps ofremoving the edge portion of the at least one gate dielectric on eachside of the gate structure and the oxidizing of the sidewall of the gatestructure may be repeated.

In yet another embodiment, the above noted oxidation step may besubstituted with a thermal nitridation step. In this embodiment, thesidewall of the gate structure 10 is nitrided, as well as at least oneof the exposed base edges B1 of the at least one gate conductor 12 andthe exposed channel surface C1 of the semiconductor substrate 5 that isunderlying the gate structure 10. The consumption of the base edge B1 ofthe at least one gate conductor 12 and the channel surface C1 of thesemiconductor substrate 5, e.g., nitridation of the base edge B1 of theat least one gate conductor 12 and the channel surface C1 of thesemiconductor substrate 5, provides a dielectric that functions as athickened edge portion 15 of the at least one gate dielectric 11. In oneembodiment, the nitridation process of the present invention is carriedout in a nitrogen-containing ambient, such as NO, N₂, N₂O, NH₃ or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the nitridation process may bemixed with an inert gas such as He, Ar, Ne, Xe, Kr and mixtures thereof.When an admixture of nitrogen-containing ambient and inert gas isemployed, the admixture may comprise from about 1 to about 100 weight %nitrogen-containing ambient, and from 0 weight % to 99 weight % inertgas. In one embodiment, a mixture of a nitrogen-containing ambient andinert gas is employed, in which the admixture comprises from 5 weight %to 100 weight % nitrogen-containing ambient, and from 0 weight % to 95weight % inert gas. In one example, N₂ is employed as thenitrogen-containing ambient. The thermal nitridation process may beperformed at temperatures of 700° C. or greater. In some embodiments,the thermal nitridation process may be performed at temperatures rangingfrom 750° C. to 850° C. In the embodiments, in which thermal nitridationis substituted for oxidation, the thickened edge portion 15 of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 is composed of a nitride, such as siliconnitride.

FIG. 5 depicts one embodiment of forming spacers 17 adjacent to the gatestructure 10 and implanting a deep source region 18 and deep drainregion 19 in the semiconductor substrate 5 on opposing sides of the gatestructure 10. In one embodiment, the spacer 17 may be composed ofsilicon nitride, e.g., Si₃N₄, but may also comprise an oxynitridematerial. The spacer 17 may be formed by deposition and etch processes.For example, a conformal nitride containing layer may be deposited usingconventional deposition processes, including, but not limited to,chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-assisted CVD, and low-pressurechemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). Following deposition, the conformalnitride containing layer is then etched using an anisotropic etch, suchas reactive ion etch (RIE). In some embodiments, the etch process thatforms the spacer 17 may also remove the cap oxide film 16 c and thesubstrate surface oxide film 16 b that is not adjacent to the gatestructure 10. In one embodiment, the spacer 17 may have a width rangingfrom 2.0 nm to 15.0 nm.

Referring to FIG. 5, a deep source region 18 and a deep drain region 19may be implanted into the semiconductor substrate 5 after forming thespacer 17. The conductivity type of the deep source region 18 and thedeep drain region 19 is typically the same as the conductivity type asthe source extension region 13 and the drain extension region 14. Thecombination of the source extension region 13 and the deep source region18 provide the source region of the semiconductor device, and thecombination of the drain extension region 14 and the deep drain region19 provide the drain region of the semiconductor device. As used herein,the term “source” is a doped region in the semiconductor device, inwhich majority carriers are flowing into the channel. As used herein,the term “drain” means a doped region in semiconductor device located atthe end of the channel, in which carriers are flowing out of thetransistor through the drain. The conductivity of the source and drainregions typically dictate the conductivity type of the semiconductordevice. For example, a semiconductor device having n-type source anddrain regions is typically referred to as an n-type semiconductordevice.

In some embodiments, the deep source region 18 and the deep drain region19 may be formed using an ion implantation method similar to the methodfor forming the source extension region 13 and the drain extensionregion 14, with the exception that the implant for the deep sourceregion 18 and the deep drain region 19 typically employs a higherimplant energy and greater implant dose than the implantation processfor forming the source extension region 13 and the drain extensionregion 14. In one example, an n-type deep source region 18 and an n-typedeep drain region 19 may be implanted with phosphorus using an energyranging from 3.0 keV to 25.0 keV with a dose of 1×10¹⁵ atoms/cm² to7×10¹⁵ atoms/cm². In one example, a p-type deep source region 18 and ann-type deep drain region 19 may be implanted with boron using an energyranging from 1.0 keV to 8.0 keV with a dose of 1×10¹⁵ atoms/cm² to7×10¹⁵ atoms/cm².

In one embodiment, the source and drain regions, e.g., source extensionregion 13, drain extension region 14, deep source region 18 and deepdrain region 19, may be activated using a thermal anneal. The annealprocess may be provided by thermal anneal, such as a furnace anneal,rapid thermal anneal, spike anneal or laser anneal. In one example, thetemperature of the anneal process to activate the dopant of the sourceand drain regions ranges from 700° C. to 1100° C. In another examples,the temperature of the anneal process to activate the dopant of thesource and drain region ranges from 800° C. to 1000° C. The time periodof the anneal process to activate the dopant of the source and drainregions may range from 1 second to 60 seconds. In another embodiment,the time period of the anneal process to activate the dopant of thesource and drain regions ranges from 5 seconds to 30 seconds.

FIG. 5 depicts one embodiment of a semiconductor device 100 thatincludes a gate structure 10 on a semiconductor substrate 5, in whichthe gate structure 10 includes at least one gate conductor 12 and atleast one gate dielectric 11. The at least one gate dielectric 11includes a dielectric layer that is in direct contact with a surface ofthe semiconductor substrate 5, in which a central portion of thedielectric layer has a first thickness T1 and the edge portions 15 ofthe dielectric layer have a second thickness T2, wherein the secondthickness T2 is greater than the first thickness T1. A source region,i.e., source extension region 13 and deep source region 18, and a drainregion, i.e., drain extension region 14 and deep drain region 19, ispresent in the semiconductor substrate 5 on opposing sides of the gatestructure 10. The central portion of the dielectric layer having thefirst thickness T1 dictates the threshold voltage of the semiconductordevice 100. As used herein, “threshold voltage” is the lowest attainablegate voltage that will turn on a semiconductor device, e.g., transistor,by making the channel of the device conductive. The edge portions 15 ofthe dielectric layer having the second thickness T2 reduces gate induceddrain leakage and hot carrier injection in the semiconductor device 100in comparison to a similarly structured semiconductor device having auniform thickness gate dielectric with a thickness equal to thethickness of the dielectric layer at the central portion, i.e., firstthickness T1.

FIGS. 1-5 depict only one process sequence for forming a semiconductordevice 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. It is not intendedthat the methods and structures disclosed herein be limited to only theprocess sequence depicted in FIGS. 1-5. For example, although FIGS. 1-5depict removing the edge portions of the at least one gate dielectric 11before forming the source extension region 13 and the drain extensionregion 14, embodiments of the present disclosure have been contemplatedin which the source extension region 13 and the drain extension region14 are formed prior to removing the edge portions of the at least onegate dielectric 11.

FIG. 6 depicts one embodiment of forming a source extension region 13 aand a drain extension region 14 a in the semiconductor substrate 5 a onopposing sides of the gate structure 10 a before removing the edgeportions of the at least one gate dielectric 11 a from each side of thegate structure 10 a.

The semiconductor substrate 5 a and gate structure 10 a (including theat least one gate dielectric 11 a and the at least one gate conductor 12a) that are depicted in FIG. 6 are similar to the semiconductorsubstrate 5 and gate structure 10 (including the at least one gatedielectric 11 and the at least one gate conductor 12) that are depictedin FIG. 1. Therefore, the above description of the semiconductorsubstrate 5 and gate structure 10 that are depicted in FIG. 1 issuitable for the semiconductor substrate 5 a and gate structure 10 athat are depicted in FIG. 6. The source extension region 13 a and thedrain extension region 14 a that are depicted in FIG. 6 may be formedusing the methods for forming the source extension region 13 and thedrain extension region that are described above with reference to FIG.3.

FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of removing the edge portions of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 a from each side of the gate structure 10 athat is depicted in FIG. 6. The method for removing the edge portions ofthe at least one gate dielectric 11 that is described above withreference to FIG. 2 is suitable for removing the edge portions of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 a that is depicted in FIG. 7. Followingremoval of the edge portions of the at least one gate dielectric 11 a,the structure depicted in FIG. 7 may be treated by the process sequencethat is described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 to provide asemiconductor device including at least one gate dielectric with adielectric layer that is in direct contact with a surface of thesemiconductor substrate, in which a central portion of the dielectriclayer has a first thickness and the edge portions of the dielectriclayer have a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is greaterthan the first thickness. To summarize, following removing the edgeportions of the at least one gate dielectric 11 a, the sidewalls of thegate structure 10 a that is depicted in FIG. 7 are oxidized, as well asthe exposed base edge B1 a of the at least one gate conductor 12 a andthe exposed channel surface C1 a of the semiconductor substrate 5 a thatis underlying the gate structure 10 a, using methods similar to thosedescribed above with reference to FIG. 4. Thereafter, at least onespacer is formed adjacent to the gate structure and deep source anddrain regions are formed in the semiconductor substrate on opposingsides of the gate structure 10 using methods similar to those describedabove with reference to FIG. 5.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the gate structuremay be treated with a preliminary sidewall oxidation prior to formingthe source extension region and the drain extension region, and prior toremoving the edge portions of the at least one gate dielectric of thegate structure. FIG. 8 depicts one embodiment of a gate structure 10 bthat has been treated with a preliminary sidewall oxidation, wherein thepreliminary sidewall oxidation forms a sidewall preliminary oxide film20 a on the sidewall of the gate structure 10 b, a cap preliminary oxidefilm 20 b on the upper surface of the gate structure 10 b, and asubstrate preliminary oxide film 20 c on the semiconductor substrate 5b. The semiconductor substrate 5 b and gate structure 10 b (includingthe at least one gate dielectric 11 b and the at least one gateconductor 12 b) that are depicted in FIG. 8 are similar to thesemiconductor substrate 5 and gate structure 10 (including the at leastone gate dielectric 11 and the at least one gate conductor 12) that aredepicted in FIG. 1. Therefore, the above description of thesemiconductor substrate 5 and gate structure 10 that are depicted inFIG. 1 is suitable for the semiconductor substrate 5 b and gatestructure 10 b that are depicted in FIG. 8. The preliminary sidewalloxidation that forms the sidewall preliminary oxide film 20 a on thesidewall of the gate structure 10 b, the cap preliminary oxide film 20 bon the upper surface of the gate structure 10 b, and the substratepreliminary oxide film 20 c on the semiconductor substrate 5 b issimilar to the gate sidewall oxidation procedures that are describedabove with reference to FIG. 4. In one embodiment, the preliminarysidewall oxidation protects the gate structure 10 b from contamination.In one example, the sidewall preliminary oxide film 20 a, the cappreliminary oxide film 20 b and the substrate preliminary oxide film 20c are each composed of silicon oxide (SiO₂).

FIG. 9 depicts one embodiment of forming a source extension region 13 band a drain extension region 14 b in the semiconductor substrate 5 b onopposing sides of the gate structure 10 b that is depicted in FIG. 8.The source extension region 13 b and the drain extension region 14 bthat are depicted in FIG. 9 may be formed using the methods for formingthe source extension region 13 and the drain extension region 14 thatare described above with reference to FIG. 3. In one embodiment, thesidewall preliminary oxide film 20 a, the cap preliminary oxide film 20b and the substrate preliminary oxide film 20 c are present during theprocessing to form the source extension region 13 b and the drainextension region 14 b.

FIG. 10 depicts one embodiment of removing the edge portions of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 b from each side of the gate structure 10 bthat is depicted in FIG. 9. The method for removing the edge portions ofthe at least one gate dielectric 11 that is described above withreference to FIG. 2 is suitable for removing the edge portions of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 b that is depicted in FIG. 10. In oneembodiment, the etch process that removes the edge portions of the atleast one gate dielectric 11 b also removes at least one of the sidewallpreliminary oxide film 20 a, the cap preliminary oxide film 20 b and thesubstrate preliminary oxide film 20 c, as depicted in FIG. 10.

Following removal of the edge portions of the at least one gatedielectric 11 b, the structure depicted in FIG. 10 may be treated by theprocess sequence that is described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5to provide a semiconductor device including at least one gate dielectricwith a dielectric layer that is in direct contact with a surface of thesemiconductor substrate, in which a central portion of the dielectriclayer has a first thickness and the edge portions of the dielectriclayer have a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is greaterthan the first thickness. To summarize, following removing the edgeportions of the at least one gate dielectric 11 b, the sidewalls of thegate structure 10 b that is depicted in FIG. 7 are oxidized, as well asthe exposed base edge B1 b of the at least one gate conductor 12 b andthe exposed channel surface C1 b of the semiconductor substrate 5 thatis underlying the gate structure 10 b, using methods similar to thosedescribed above with reference to FIG. 4. Thereafter, at least onespacer is formed adjacent to the gate structure and deep source anddrain regions are formed in the semiconductor substrate on opposingsides of the gate structure using methods similar to those describedabove with reference to FIG. 5.

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and describedwith respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in formsand details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. It is therefore intended that the presentinvention not be limited to the exact forms and details described andillustrated, but fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a gatestructure on a semiconductor substrate, wherein said gate structurecomprises at least one gate conductor and at least one gate dielectric,wherein the at least one gate dielectric comprises a dielectric layerhaving a bottommost surface in direct contact with a surface of thesemiconductor substrate and a topmost surface in direct contact withsaid at least one gate conductor, wherein said dielectric layer has edgeportions that have a greater thickness than a central portion of saiddielectric layer, wherein a lower surface of the edge portions extendsinto the semiconductor substrate; a gate sidewall oxide film on thesidewalls of the gate structure; a substrate surface oxide film adjacentto said gate structure, wherein said substrate surface oxide film is indirect contact with an uppermost surface of said semiconductorsubstrate; a spacer on opposing sides of said gate structure, wherein aninner sidewall of said spacer is in direct contact with an outermostsurface of said gate sidewall oxide film and a bottommost surface ofsaid spacer is in direct contact with an uppermost surface of saidsubstrate surface oxide film, wherein said substrate surface oxide filmdoes not extend beyond the outermost portion of said spacer; and asource region and a drain region in the semiconductor substrate onopposing sides of the gate structure.
 2. The semiconductor device ofclaim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a high-k dielectricmaterial.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the centralportion of the dielectric layer has a first thickness that ranges from 2nm to 20 nm, and the edge portions of the dielectric layer have a secondthickness that ranges from 3 nm to 25 nm.
 4. The semiconductor device ofclaim 3, wherein an upper surface of the first thickness of each edgeportion of the dielectric layer is planar.
 5. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, wherein said edge portions of the dielectric layer have alength of 2 nm to 25 nm, as measured from an outer sidewall of the atleast one gate conductor.
 6. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein the central portion of the dielectric layer dictates thethreshold voltage of the semiconductor device, and the edge portions ofthe dielectric layer reduce gate induced drain leakage and hot carrierinjection in the semiconductor device in comparison to a similarlystructured semiconductor device having a uniform thickness gatedielectric with a thickness equal to the thickness of the dielectriclayer at the central portion.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises a silicon containingmaterial.
 8. The semiconductor device of claim 7, wherein said siliconcontaining material is selected from the group consisting of Si, SiGe,carbon doped silicon, and combinations thereof.
 9. The semiconductordevice of claim 1, wherein the gate structure further comprises adielectric gate cap on an upper surface of said at least one gateconductor.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein an upperportion of said edge portions of the dielectric layer extends into saidat least one gate conductor.
 11. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein said at least one gate conductor is comprised of a materialselected from the group consisting of a semiconductor containingmaterial, a metal or a combination thereof.
 12. The semiconductor deviceof claim 11, wherein said at least one gate conductor is comprised of ametal, and an upper portion of the edge portions of the dielectric layerdoes not extend into the at least one gate conductor.
 13. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein said source and said drainregion comprise a source and a drain extension region and a deep sourceregion and a deep drain region.
 14. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein said spacer is comprised of silicon nitride, oxynitride or acombination thereof.
 15. The semiconductor device of claim 1, whereinsaid spacer has a width of 2.0 nm to 15 nm.